


You

by geeniusbar



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Bisexual Female Character, Bisexual Hermione Granger, Drinking, Drunkenness, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Pansy Parkinson, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, War, Weed, high
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2021-01-03 00:15:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21170243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/geeniusbar/pseuds/geeniusbar
Summary: Sometimes, the only way to heal is to lay on the grass, smoke and look at the stars.And of course, listen to your drunk friends laughing about shit that isn't funny, and make bets on who's going to cry first.





	You

Hermione Granger laid back, eyes up. Fixed at the stars above her. Laughter from her friends filling her ears. Ginny’s bashful giggles as Blaise unashamedly flirted with her, Draco’s loud laughter, followed by the piggish snorts of Ron (his drunken laughter taking over from his usually reserved laughter). Harry chatting somewhere off with Luna, probably snogging under the moon, and Neville who knows where probably chatting with Pansy about plants. 

She eased into the wet grass, curly hair dampening. She attributed most of her calm demeanour to the weed (muggle, of course. Even Draco Malfoy agreed that the muggle stuff was superior to the gillyweed the wizards smoked). She hadn’t drunk much this evening, knowing all too well the repercussions of mixing the two Hogwarts contraband (having experienced, and witness Ron mix the two the wrong way, and end up on the floor vomiting for the duration of the night). 

She took a long drag, hand falling back to her side. Breathing out in one, continuous go, not bothering to try anything fancy. Hermione wasn’t here to impress, after all. 

Everything was so different now. The wizarding world was calming down, her friends had relaxed, and formed new friendships. Her friends had also tensed up, struggled, and upon (surprisingly so) Draco’s recommendation, gone to therapy. And unwisely mixed alcohol with their medications most Friday nights.

Last year was something everyone wanted to desperately forget, some more than others. It was everything they needed to bury and pretend it never happened. To close their eyes and attend classes with a reluctant smile (and putty in the Slytherins ears to avoid unwanted comments from confident first-year Gryffindors).

Last year was now points in the halls that Pansy pulled Hermione to avoid, or whenever there was a loud noise, or a door opening abruptly, Neville and Ginny springing up, wands in hands, spells on the tips of their tongues. It was Draco refusing to make eye contact with Hermione, for every time he did he heard the screams of the Manor. It was Blaise punching walls, or Ron snapping abruptly. It was Harry ignoring everyone when he stalked off to the lake or apparated back home to sit and remind himself of Sirius. It was the eighth years leaving classes without saying why, and asking for more frequent trips to Hogsmead as it was a much needed (and well deserved) break. It was Pansy flicking her eyes around every room she entered, checking, double-checking, and checking a third time that the Carrows were nowhere in sight. It was Hermione forgetting where she was, panicking until Harry or Ron found her (or Pansy talked her back down to the earth). It was Ron’s untrusting eyes, refusing to sit and listen to students he swore hadn’t changed. It was Ginny walking back to the Room of Requirement, instead of walking to the eighth year dorms. 

Hermione preferred to think they were coping well enough, for a bunch of teenagers trapped in a war that none of them wanted to be involved in. She liked to think that they were going to be okay when school ended, and they were sent into the real world. That they’d all be able to cope away from the safety of Hogwarts, without the excessive wards, and insistent promising of McGonagall that Hogwarts today is not, and never will be, the Hogwarts of last year. 

Pansy always huffed when the Headmistress said this, mumbling that Hogwarts was still hell for Slytherins. The constant jinx’s and hexes from the younger years was enough for Draco to snap, sending a jinx at one in the view of a Ravenclaw prefect. Who then attempted to expel Draco, and if Hermione and Neville hadn't been there to witness the little shits, demanding McGonagall turn a blind eye, as Draco was exhausted from the constant behaviour of the younger years, and had simply snapped. Draco had almost begged them to drop it, but Hermione ignored his protests and pressed for McGonagall to take action against the misbehaviour younger years. 

(She had given an assertive speech the next night, stating any student, regardless of the year, sending unprovoked hexes, jinxes or curses towards Slytherin’s would be spending the following month in detention with Slughorn). 

“Have you frozen?” Pansy asked, her face above Hermiones, a drunken grin spread across her pale face. Hermione smiled at her, a warm feeling filling her chest that Pansy had pulled herself away to break Hermione's potentially spiralling thoughts.

“Not quite,” Hermione replied, turning a hit, and blowing it unceremoniously in Pansy’s face. 

“Come 'n' dance, Blaise bought one of those portable muggle telephones the other day and Harry just taught us how to download an application.” Hermione couldn’t help the grin spread across her face at Pansy’s excitement and adorable awkward wording. 

“Did he just?” Hermione teased, Pansy’s eyebrows knitted, sitting down, her crossed legs pressing against Hermione’s head, hand reaching for the blunt. “Uh uh, you know what happens.”

“Yeah yeah, beer before grass you’re on your ass.” Pansy mocked, hand still out, leaning forward a little bit more, fingers stretching to reach it. Hermione tsk’d, moving the blunt away from Pansy, taking a quick puff, and shifting it to her other hand. Pansy huffed, and Hermione swatted her tenderly with her free hand. 

“I am not carrying you up to the dorms, Ms Parkison.”

“That's a fair bit of weed you have there, Ms Granger, I don't want to be carrying _you _up the stairs.

“Too right,” She smiled, Pansy’s black hair flopping down as her girlfriend frown at her. “Just have second hand.”

“Not as good.”

“Too bad, babycakes.” 

“What were you thinking about anyway? Everyone’s laughing and having fun and you’re here in the grass gazing at stars.”

“You making it sound like my activities are trivial.”

“Curious, not pointless. Open up,” 

“I was thinking about last year.”

“That’s no good.”

“Good observation, Drunk Parkinson.”

“Hey! Not nice, High Hermione.” Pansy giggled, leaning forward to push her forehead against Hermione’s, her legs pulling away from her head. “Has a nice ring to it.”

“Hm.” 

“Don’t think about last year. It makes you sad, and I don’t want you to be sad tonight. We’re happy tonight. And I hedged my bets that Harry will be the first to cry, so you better not, or I’m going to be pissed.”

“You’re already pissed.”

“Fuck off, don’t cry. Or I’m taking five of your Galleons.”

“You bet five Galleons on Harry?”

“I bet six actually.”

“You’re so sure of yourself.” 

“Yes,” Pansy said smugly, lifting her head to press a sloppy kiss to Hermoine’s lips, looking down at her fondly, cropped black hair falling around her face, masking the moon and stars.

“You cut your hair.”

“Just then. Ginny suggested it, so we cut it. What do you think? Wait, sit up to see it properly.” Pansy pulled herself up, making her way around to the front of Hermione, pulling her up, and then sitting down in front of her, knees pressing against each others’. 

Hermione admired her for a few seconds, the cut was much needed. Pansy was gorgeous, but with this new hair cut, she looked more mature. Her pale skin contrasting with her black hair. Hermione always though Pansy’s hair swamped her, and now her hair was a tiny bob ending at the bottom of her ears. Plus, Pansy had been moaning about how long her hair had gotten, and Hermione had suggested time and time again that a short cut might be a nice kickstart to a new, Voldemort-free life.

“Perfect.”

“Good!" Pansy giggled, jumping up, and wobbling a bit as she did so. She giggled some more, wobblingly and giddy. Hermione couldn't help but smile at her. 

Pansy's smile and laugh was infectious after all. 

"Now up, I am not losing five galleons.”

“My five galleons.”

“Five galleons all the same, Granger. Up!” Pansy smiled proudly as Hermione stood up, hand fitting snuggly in Pansys’ as they walked over to the group, Draco and Harry crowing loudly as they joined, hooting and hollering loud enough to wake the entire castle (and the squid in the lake). Pansy positioned herself on the sodden grass, pulling Hermione to lay in front of her, Pansy’s fingers interlacing with hers almost immediately.

“She hasn’t cried yet, Longbottom. You are not getting the Galleons.”

“Neville,” Luna said, her voice ever so quiet and innocent, “didn’t you cry three hours ago?”

Neville reddened instantly, a sly grin breaking out across Luna's oh so innocent face.

“Oh sod off,” Draco grumbled, plucking a few galleons out of his pocket, and chucking them to Harry, who winked right back at him. “Pluck up, Longbottom. I bet 10 on Weaslette being the first.”

“You cried ten minutes in last Friday,” Neville replied cooly, the group swallowing into laughter, Draco turning a light shade of pink. Hermione couldn’t help the giggle from exploding out, turning and leaning into Pansy, giggling into her girlfriend.

Hermione smiled and laughed with the rest of her friends, holding up a toast to Neville for being the first to cry, downing firewhiskey (and avoiding the coughing fit unlike Ron and Harry, who couldn’t handle their liquor). She was enveloped in a calm sense of belonging, surrounded by people who she was sure felt exactly the same. Kids who were forced to grow up a bit too fast, finally calming down and being teens who drunk, and smoked and acted like real kids. 

Pansy placed a kiss on Hermione’s head, murmuring into her ear; “we’re safe, Granger.”


End file.
